Chaotic Harmony
by hatashikitty
Summary: An ancient spirit from the Princesses' past is set free after thousands of years. When he finds out the Elements of Harmony have been unleashed, he travels to Ponyville to use his own unqiue magic on Princess Twilight Sparkle.


(Author's note: I would like my readers to know that this story takes place after the third season. This story also isn't influenced by the fourth season. I have yet to see a single episode of the fourth season, and probably won't for a while. My reason for this is because I don't want my story to change, which is what happened while I tried to plan it during the third season. Also, this story is going to be very character development heavy, and will include a few OCs. I do not consider any of my OCs to be Mary Sues or the male equivalent. The OCs are there for character and plot development.)

Chaotic Harmony

Prologue: Sunday Night

From her spot in the observation tower, Luna stared into the night sky. Normally, she would be gazing into the sparkling faces of hundreds of stars, twinkling from eons away. However, the stars were completely covered with dark, forbidding clouds that looked like gloomy, pregnant sheep. Rain fell down in sheets; the noise was constant like the pounding of hooves.

It wasn't usual for Luna to be in the observation tower. In times of danger, she'd be watching from her perch all night, but normally she only spent a few hours per sun-fall standing guard. Usually, a storm this big would often drive the Princess of the Night to her bed early, but Cloudsdale didn't schedule the downpour, which made Luna uneasy about the unforeseen storm. She had been watching the sky for over an hour now, and was using her connection to the night to sense the rain clouds. It was a large storm, moving from the direction of the mountains just North of Canterlot. It was large enough to cover both Canterlot and Ponyville. But other than that, it didn't seem any different than any other storm.

A yawn broke her concentration from the sky. Her eyes were tired and her hooves hurt. As the Princess of the Night, she liked to stay up late. The first five or six hours of the night was when she had the most energy, and was able to do her best work. But even a night owl like herself still liked to sleep at night so she could spend her day with her sister. Celestia had told her that running Equestria was a lot easier with Luna by her side. And a body that was used to going to sleep at a certain time liked the routine.

After probing the clouds one more time with her magic, Luna finally admitted to herself that it was just an ordinary storm, one that probably escaped the eyes of Cloudsdale. Quietly, she left the tower to go to her bed. On the way to her chamber, she passed her sister's. Guards stood on either side of the double doors. Luna nodded to them as she passed.

They bowed back, and returned to their stoney watch. They were respectful to her, but Luna knew what they thought of her. They were all suspicious of her, keeping an eye so she wouldn't become the dreaded Nightmare Moon again. The other ponies of the castle hid their fear of her very well, but Luna knew it was there. And it wouldn't go away.

As she continued to her room, a pair of pink ducks floated through the air barking like dogs; a reminder that she wasn't the only reformed villain that lived under this roof. Living with Discord had taken some time getting used to, especially the random chaos that Celestia allowed to run rampant in the castle, as long as it wasn't too big and didn't hurt anyone.

It had taken Luna a long time to get used to Discord, almost as long as it took her to get used to not being Nightmare Moon. She still wasn't entirely comfortable around Discord. He ruffled her feathers like no one else could, and he knew it. But she was learning not to react to his jests . She made it clear that she was no fun, so he didn't seek her out as often. He preferred to be around the guards or maids, who squealed and cried out in shock at his antics, and sometimes even laughed. He liked the ones that understood his jokes.

If it were Luna, she would have sent Discord far, far away. Just because he was reformed, didn't mean he should be allowed to live in the castle. Celestia was far too trusting and lenient on the draconequus. She believed strongly in second chances. Luna wouldn't be surprised if eventually her sister attempted to reform Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra. And then invite them to live in the castle! It sounded like a bad joke or comedy play.

Two guards were outside her chambers just like Celestia's. Luna wasn't sure if they were to protect her or guard her. She had to shake that thought from her head. Those kind of thoughts led to darkness, a different darkness than the type the night brought. It was this type of darkness that led to her fall. She had to remember that despite what others thought of her, Celestia loved her and trusted her. She was earning the trust of Equestria back, but it would take time.

She smiled at her guards and thanked them for their work before going into her chambers. The guards didn't react, so she couldn't tell if they were surprised by her words. But that did not matter; she couldn't force ponies to change their hearts.

Once in her chambers, she removed the black crown from her head and placed it on the bureau. In just one second, she was no longer a princess. She was just a tired mare, alone in her bedroom, ready to collapse. And that's just what she did in a not very princess-like way, cuddling up to a pillow and feeling the softness against her nose. Here in her bedroom, she was simply Luna. And in her dreams, a world she knew was her own, she was Luna as well. And she welcomed the comforting warmness of sleep, which she fell into immediately.

* * *

Not far from Equestria, along the cliffs that the train from Canterlot to Ponyville ran along, water flowed in streams through loose rock and dirt. After years and years of water erosion, a large section of the mountain fell, most of it missing the train tracks. It fell far and fast, taking more and more of the mountain with it. Dirt, rock and water poured down like volcanic lava, covering and taking anything in its path. Lucky for the ponies of Equestria, this happened at night. There were no ponies taking a hike along the mountain passes. There was no train on the rail. Nobody was hurt. Only a few trails and a few feet of train tracks would have to be cleared the next day.

But in a landslide like this, not only are things covered, but some things can be _uncovered_. On the mountain side, the falling rocks and mud cleared away a formation of smooth rocks stacked on each other to form an arc that was the opening of a cave, something that clearly wasn't natural. It was a small formation, only big enough for a single pony to walk in. Along the arc, a few runes were carved into the stone. Parts of the ruins were slightly faded, showing how old the writing was. But a large crack split the corner stone of the arc in half, a crack that looked fairly new, made by the falling rocks from the landslide.

A bolt of lightning scattered across the sky, and in the cave two red glowing orbs shone for a split second. From inside the cave, a form stretched and yawned.

"Mmmmmm, what a lovely nap," a sleepy, deep voice said to himself as he lazily shook out the years of dust from his fur. "I shall have to thank the princess for putting me so deep into the earth."

A white paw reached out of the cave and stepped into a muddy puddle. Instantly the paw is retracted, and the form inside the cave licked the offended limb until it was cleaned.

"On second thought, perhaps I'll catch a ride," the voice said grumpily. Again the paw is held outside of the cave. Before it could become too wet, a bolt of lightning struck right next to the cave.

When the lightning clears, the presence is no longer in the cave.

As if the heavens contained an angry Storm God, thunder and lightning ran rampant in the sky, over and over again. The clashing spectacle woke up many residents in Canterlot, causing them to look up at the sky in fear. Many even gasped or cried out as they saw a particularly large lightning bolt strike the Canterlot Castle. But after that, the sky calmed down, and they went back to sleep.

The bolt struck Princess Celestia's balcony, blackening the pristine stone. When the light abated, a cat sat in the middle of the scorch marks. He tried to look regal, but lost his confidence as he ran for shelter under the eaves. Once safe, the cat shook out his fur, and started to clean himself.

The cat wasn't particularly big or small for a cat. His fur was icy white save for the burnish orange markings on his face, ears, and tail. A cat lover would know him to be a flame-point Siamese. His fur was fluffy, and seemed to get longer the closer it was to his tail. His orange colored tail was a plume of beauty, which he waved in the air as he stood up. A picture of curiosity, he stalked up to the glass windows to look in.

"Oh, is that Celestia? All grown up now. And unless I miss my guess, Princess now. Does that mean _She_ is no longer around? What happened to the one who locked me away?" the cat asked the sleeping figure even though she could not hear him. "You've become beautiful after so many years, more than a couple thousand, I think. Have you forgotten me after all that time? And what of your sister? Has she already met her destiny?"

The cat sniffed the air, and followed an invisible trail across the balcony. He leaped onto the rail, and then to the next balcony over, a jump that no ordinary cat should have been able to make. He then made his way to the windows of the other balcony, looking in with bright, blue eyes.

"There you are, little Luna. Still looking so young, but already touched by darkness. Nobody else can see them, but I see the scars. Did you ever suspect that I helped you get those scars? I wish I was there to see you in all your glory," the cat said, and grinned. He didn't smile like most cats do, with their eyes closed in a content way. No, he opened his mouth and the corners of his mouth went up, showing his sharp canines.

"Perhaps I should send you a reminder of your old friend. I won't show myself just yet; there is much I need to find out about this new world I've woken up in," the cat told the sleeping figures.

As if he were digging, the cat scratched at the stone balcony, his tiny claws making scratches where he shouldn't have been able to. From his claws, magic the color of lightning shot out in all directions, but most of it went toward the two princesses. The cat watched the younger sister as the magic touched her.

Immediately Luna started to roll in her sleep. The magic affected her dreams, and it was as if she knew something was manipulating her realm as she twisted in her bedding.

The cat could feel his magic affecting others besides the princesses. His magic was unpredictable, and when he used it, he couldn't control where all of it went. But he wasn't bothered by that. His magic was unique, and very few could recognize it as it was. It was a magic that was as old as the earth. But in the same way that the magic was inside of him, he was the magic. He and the magic were the same. It was Chaos Magic, and he shared the name.

Another sniff in the air, and Chaos was on the move again. This time, he jumped down a story to a smaller balcony, following his nose that had found yet another familiar scent. Looking through the window, he smiled again.

"Has so much time passed, yet things are still the same? Discord, my friend. Never would I think that you would still be in the palace," Chaos said to the draconequus.

Discord was as much asleep as the two princesses, his room just as much a fun house as he had tried to turn Equestria into. But there was something restrained about Discord. It wasn't the same Discord from the past.

"Here I thought you'd still be sowing your lies, but I can see that the fair princess have gone and tamed yon beast," Chaos said. His voice had no sorrow in the tone, only intrigue. "I would have loved to see that. I would show myself to you, my friend, but I don't dare. I have plans that I don't want revealed, and I don't know how loyal to me you'd be."

The cat moved on, jumping to another balcony, and then to window sills. One window sill he came to was in front of a stained glass panel. Chaos merely glanced at it before moving through the glass into the castle. Once inside, he walked up and down the hallway, inspecting each stained glass that told a story.

"So much has happened without my help. And it seems that the Elements of Harmony were found in my absence," Chaos said, sitting in front of a stained glass window that showed six ponies attaining the elements. "Very interesting, but time has been moving far too slowly. Much still needs to happen. But there is much that I do not know."

The cat turned his head. At one end of the hall was Celestia's throne room where she conducted business. On the other end, where Chaos was looking, was the library. The cat turned away from the library. He knew that everything he needed to know could be found in books, but it was not the way of cats to read. Libraries were good for taking naps or sharpening claws, but cats only liked books if someone with a pleasing voice was kind enough to read to them to sleep.

Chaos' left ear flickered as if a bug landed on it, and he turned his head to the last stained glass in the line. It had the pony who was in possession of the Element of Magic. In the other windows, she was a unicorn. In this one, she was an alicorn.

Once again, Chaos grinned. This was by far the most interesting development that he had ever seen. A magically induced alicorn!

"If only I could have witnessed that," Chaos said to himself, purring with satisfaction. "So much has happened without my help. Yet, so much still needs to happen. Fate is moving far too slow. I must acquaint myself with these holders of the Elements of Harmony; destiny isn't through with them."

The flame-point Siamese crouched down on the ornate rug in the hall and wiggled his butt in the fashion cats do when about to pounce on a mouse. Gracefully, he leaped up at the stained glass of the alicorn and passed completely through it. Once his body was completely outside, lightning struck him and he was gone.

Moving through the storm as random charged particles, Chaos traveled to where his magic was attracted to his opposite: the welder of the Element of Harmonious Magic. The lightning touched down just yards away from a large tree that was hollowed out into a domicile. White and orange fur stuck out all over from the electrical charge, but quickly laid flat as the rain soaked in.

Chaos, less than happy about where he ended up, ran for cover in a less than dignified manner. Before he could even look around, he started to clean himself once he was secure under the eaves of the tree house. After his tongue had done its job, the blue, cross-eyed gaze of Chaos swept over the town he landed in.

"It must not be coincidence that the wielders of the Elements had been gathered in this exact place," he said to himself. His eyes wandered to a banner that was strung between two houses that advertised, "The Fire and Water Ball: Saturday." "Coincidence, indeed. If I didn't know better, I'd say my powers continued to do my work during my captivity. Should I leave the rest up to chance? How boring would that be."

Scratching at the ground, the magical feline sent another set of chaotic waves in every direction, focusing on the six that he sensed like six torches in the night. However, he frowned as his magic didn't obey him, scattering all over and only touching a few of the holders of Harmony.

"Hmmm, not much of an effect," he told himself disapprovingly. "My powers must not be potent enough. I must rest." He sniffed the ground he was sitting on to check to see if it was dry and comfortable enough. Satisfied, he curled up, yawned and tucked his nose under his feathery tale. The morning would come quickly, and he was needed.

* * *

The first to be affected by the waves of magic felt it in her dreams. They brought back old memories of the past; a time before the responsibilities of a nation rested on her shoulders. They were bitter and sweet, causing her to tense and finally wake up in a sweat.

"My dream. It felt like. . . ," Celestia said once she calmed down. Her eyes focused, and she saw herself in the mirror. ". . . magic. . . Discord." Careful not to become entangled in her bedding, she unfolded her long legs and ran out of the room. A few seconds after she had, Luna burst out of her own room, looking just as confused as Celestia felt.

"Sister, you felt it, too," Luna guessed, almost looking relieved.

"Then it wasn't a mere dream," Celestia said hanging her head. She had hoped that he had changed.

Luna snorted through her nostrils. "I swear I'll wring Discord's neck. I knew he couldn't stay good for long."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Celestia defended the draconequus. "He is allowed some use of magic."

"Not that strong," Luna whispered with narrowed eyes.

As the two princesses moved to the lower floor, two of the guards followed them. Luna ordered two more to go check on the Elements of Harmony.

"We can't be too careful," Luna told her sister.

"I think you are over reacting," Celestia sighed.

"And you are too soft on him," Luna huffed. "We never should have left him as a statue."

"Just as I should have left you in the moon," Celestia said in a patient voice. The elder sister had said the comment in defense, and she regretted it as soon as it left her mouth. Sometimes Luna could be so moody that Celestia couldn't help but make a snappy remark, but this time she felt she went too far. She looked at her dark sister out of the corner of her violet eyes, trying to read the stern face of Luna. But Luna's countenance didn't indicate that she reacted from the comment. Just as Celestia summoned her voice to apologize, they arrived at Discord's chamber.

Before Celestia could stop her younger sister, Luna opened the double doors roughly with her magic, the wood banging against the walls loudly.

Giving out a girlish scream, the draconequus sat up straight in bed with his blanket pulled up against his chin. "Perverts!" he yelled at the intruding sister.

Luna lit a candle with her magic, and the two sisters could see a devilish smile on Discord's misshapen face.

"Enough of your asinine jokes, Discord. What did you just do?" Luna accused, her face set in a frown.

Discord shrugged. "Well, I was sleeping, then you burst in and I did this:" Once again, he pulled his blanket up as if it were a shield and he screamed.

Celestia stepped in front of Luna, her face much more composed. "Discord, just a while ago, we felt strange magic that affected our dreams," she explained in her princess-like way. "It felt a lot like your magic. Did you do something just now?"

Discord let go of his blanket so that he could place a claw along side his mouth. His blanket immediately turned into two robins that flew around his room upside-down, which fit it with the rest of the decor of his room. Along with staying in the palace, Discord was allowed to decorate his bed chamber how he liked, which he did with gusto. His room never looked the same day to day.

"Interesting," Discord said, tapping his claw against his snaggle-tooth. "And this magic affected your dreams? What did you dream about?"

Celestia looked as if she were going to tell him, but Luna interrupted.

"That's personal!"

Discord gave Luna a knowing smile, as if he already knew.

Celestia gave them both dark looks. "So, you had nothing to do with it?"

Discord summoned up a cup of tea that was as big as a pig, and dunked a giant donut into it. "As much as I'd liked to take credit for it, unfortunately, I have no power over dreams. My power is over the unnatural," he said as he took a big bite of his pastry. "You might want to talk to your sister. That's her domain."

Luna looked as if she were about to growl, but her older sister touched her leg in order to calm her down.

"He might be lying," Luna whispered to her sister.

The draconequus heard the comment, and chose not to react too harshly to Luna's bad mood. Instead, he spoke to them both. "What reason do you have to _not _believe me? I've kept my word. I've been the model of obedience. Besides, does this really sound like something that I would do?"

Celestia thought about that, and she concluded that he was right. It wasn't flashy enough for Discord. He liked to sign all his work. Besides, Celestia was sure the magic felt like someone else that she knew, but she couldn't recall a face or name.

"He's right, Luna. This isn't Discord's style," Celestia said, and turned around. "I'm sorry we bothered you."

"Ah, you're leaving already," Discord said with a sad face. "I was just about to make you some coco. I even have marshmallows."

As Luna was about to leave, a marshmallow the size of a foal appeared in her path and she fell on it. Glaring at Discord, she elegantly picked herself up and left. She felt justified in slamming his doors closed with her magic as she left.

"What do we do now, sister?" Luna asked.

Celestia shook her head as if she were thinking of something else and wasn't listening. "Oh, I suppose you should go back to bed, Luna. It was probably just a bad dream." Then the alicorn of the day walked away, her guards following after her.

Luna narrowed her eyes after her sister, suspicious that Celestia truly didn't believe it was a dream. "That's not the way to her bedroom. Where is she off to?" Still feeling grumpy and too awake to return to bed, Luna decided to go back to the observation tower. Even though the storm was still raging, she wanted to feel the night air.

Back in his room, Discord watched out through the crack in his doors as the two princesses left. Their behavior was very strange, but they weren't the only ones. There was definitely a hint of strange magic in the air.

Moving to his window, the draconequus opened one halfway, the wind driving some of the rain inside. Sniffing along the ledge, Discord was able to pick up a scent. The scent brought up memories of an old friend. He smiled to himself, and slowly closed the window.

_Perhaps I should stay close to the princesses, _he thought to himself as he cuddled up to his pillows that had also been turned into marshmallows as big as the one Luna fell on. _Things around here are about to get interesting._

* * *

In her tree, Twilight Sparkle slept soundly despite the sound of the raging storm. For the first couple of weeks of having her new wings, she had a hard time sleeping. Either her wings were causing her back to kink, or she slept on top of them and they fell asleep. She spent many restless nights massaging out the painful pins and needles from the feathered appendages. But then she learned to start sleeping on her back with the wings folded up, or using pillows to give herself more support. It hadn't been like sleeping on a bed of feathers like she initially thought, but it wasn't bad. But she had lost sleep for a good amount of two weeks. It was no wonder Rainbow Dash preferred to sleep on clouds.

A loud knock reverberated through the home.

Spike grumbled a little in his sleep, curled his tail tighter around him and went back to snoring.

The purple alicorn only raised an eyelid for a moment before going back to sleep. The second time the knock came, she moaned before getting up.

"Spike, there's someone at the door," she said sleepily and nudged the basket where the baby dragon rested.

Spike put his pillow over his head. "Ignore it. They'll go away soon," he murmured.

"It might be an emergency," Twilight Sparkle said, and nudged his basked again.

Together, pony and dragon went down the stairs slowly. Yawning in unison, Twilight Sparkle opened the door with her magic.

"Cheerilee? Is everything alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked with concern.

"Oh, I came to return the book I borrowed last week," Cheerilee said as she stepped in. She had on a rain coat, but she still left mud and water on the wooden floor. "It was so good, I stayed up all night reading it. I hope you don't mind if I return it, and get another one. Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already up," Twilight Sparkle said with a sigh. She waited patiently for Cheerilee to pick out a new book.

All this time, Spike glared at his friend as he grudgingly recording which books Cherrilee checked in and out of the roster.

"Thank you so much," the smiling pony said as she put the book in her knapsack. "Have a good night."

"What's left of it," Spike grumbled.

As Twilight Sparkle made sure the door was secure against the storm, she told Spike, "Don't be such a Grumpy Gus. It's nice to finally see Ponyville become interested in books."

A few months ago, Twilight Sparkle had organized a summer reading contest to promote more reading. She was even able to get Mayor Mare to promote the contest. It had been a large success, more than doubling the librarian patrons. Even after the contest had ended, ponies continued to flock to the library for more material.

Unfortunately, a lot of the ponies didn't respect the idea of "business hours." Being a small town, everypony knew everypony. If one needed to buy something once a store was closed, it was just a matter of talking to the proprietor. Automatically, they thought of the library the same way, especially since Twilight Sparkle lived in the library. Cheerilee's late night visit was unusual, but occasionally ponies would be knocking at her door at the break of dawn. A few strange ones wouldn't even knock; they'd walk right in whether she was home or not. Once she had been taking a shower, and when she came out, three stallions were browsing her bookshelves. She was very embarrassed about that one, even if they didn't know.

"I know that some ponies are a little more excited than others about books, but I can't yell at anypony for wanting to read."

"And what's up with that?" Spike asked with a raised eye ridge. "Aren't most of these books about magic. What's so interesting about that?"

Twilight Sparkle glared at her assistant before she answered. "You're right, Spike. This library is great for a student like me, but not sufficient for a budding town like Ponyville. I don't have enough variety, and soon they're going to want more. Spike, I need you to write a letter."

"To the princess?" he asked as he grabbed some paper, ink and a quill.

"No, to Mayor Mare."

* * *

Not far from where Twilight Sparkle was composing her letter, another unicorn was affected by the strange magic that was making waves in Ponyville.

Sweetie Belle, while sleeping in her bed at her sister's house, started to toss and turn in her sleep once the chaos waves passed by her. As if they were drawn by her immature horn, the magic soaked into the spiral bone. Immediately her horn started to glow and sparks jumped from it. The unusual sensation woke up the filly, who was wrapped up in her blanket and tumbled to the ground.

At the moment she woke up, her horn started magicking objects all over the room. Some levitated up into the air, and danced in circles near the ceiling. A few of Sweetie Belle's possessions started to glow much like her horn. Others flung themselves down to the floor, which caused a few to break from contact. This caused the filly to scream and try to escape back into bed, but her tangled blanket prevented her from doing so right away.

After minutes of witnessing her new magic going out of control, there was a knock on Sweetie Belle's door.

"Sweetie Belle, is everything alright?" Rarity asked from the hall.

The young filly gasped, not wanting Rarity to see the eerie scene, and tried to think of something to make her sister go away. But before she could reply, the door was opened and the light turned on.

Just as sudden as it began, the magic ended. The levitating objects fell and everything else stopped moving and glowing.

"What's going on in here?" Rarity demanded, looking very cross at the state of her younger sister's room. "What have you been doing?"

A bolt of lightning flashed across the window, which gave Sweetie Belle a quick excuse.

"I was having a bad dream, and the lightning woke me up," the small unicorn pipped up, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "I was really scared, and I guess I ran around in the dark."

"Are you alright, Sweetie?" Rarity asked, going to her sister's bedside. "Do you want to sleep in my bed?"

Sweetie Belle did, but she did not want whatever happened before happen to Rarity's room. Also, she hadn't slept with Rarity for a long time now, and felt really childish that Rarity had suggested it, even if she was tempted to say yes.

"No," Sweetie Belle answered quickly, her voice going up an octave in her haste to decline her sister's request. "Um. . . no, I think I'll be okay now."

"Alright, Sweetie Belle. Then good-night," Rarity said, leaving the room.

"Um. . .Rarity?"

"Yes."

"Could you leave the light on? Please?" the younger unicorn asked, looking a little unsure of herself.

"Of course," Rarity answered, and shut the door gently.

Sweetie Belle waited as her sister's hoof steps faded away before jumping out of bed and pulling out a slim notebook from between the mattresses. The notebook was decorated with flowery drawings and stylized letters saying: "Sweetie Belle's Diary. Keep out!" Laying down on her rug, she opened the notebook up to where she stopped writing last. Half the page was already filled with lyrics, which had crossed off words and side notes with arrows pointing to different sections of the poem.

With her favorite pen in her mouth, the young filly continued down the page, adding to the previous lyrics, and occasionally correcting herself or adding ideas to the side. Eventually her inner tremors calmed down, and she felt once again safe and secure in her room. After a few pages of work, her large eyes started to droop and she felt asleep with her cheek against her diary.

* * *

Sweetie Belle wasn't the only one that was having trouble sleeping that night. Many residence of Ponyville were affected by the chaotic magic that ran rampant through the town. It even made it to the edge of the Everfree forest, where one pegasus preferred to live far from the hustle and bustle of the town.

In her modest home, surrounded by the creatures she loved and adopted, Fluttershy was sleeping peacefully until the wild magic invaded her dreams. Images of glowing eyes and sharp teeth interrupted her usual dreams, causing the sleeping pony to tense up in her sleep and whimper. In her dream, the glowing eyes were red with reptilian slits for pupils and the teeth glowed an unearthly green, saliva dripping from the incisors. The image was so terrifying that Fluttershy ran in her dream as fast as she could. In reality, her body twitched constantly, and her legs moved back and forth slowly as her body tried to imitate her dream.

Eventually, her mind became so convinced that the dream was real that she climbed to her feet and started running. The pegasus didn't make it very far. After a few steps, her hooves tripped over Angel-Bunny's cushioned bed, and she fell flat onto her face, which pulled her out of her nightmare.

"Oh my," Fluttershy said to herself once she realized that she had been dreaming, and she was no longer in her bed. She slowly looked around and saw she was now on top of Angel-Bunny's bed, and could see an angry white head glaring at her near her belly.

"My goodness. I'm so very sorry Angel," Fluttershy apologized as she carefully stood up so she wouldn't hurt her pet any more. "Are you alright?" she asked as she nosed the soft creature.

Angel-Bunny only pushed her face away before angrily snuggling back up in his bed to go back to sleep.

Relieved that she hadn't hurt her companion, Fluttershy looked around her home. Many of the other creatures that lived with her were also awake, starring at her with wide eyes.

"I'm alright. It was nothing. Go back to sleep," Fluttershy told them all with a small smile. She went over and nuzzled a few of the animals that didn't immediately return to their beds. After seeing that her house was back to normal, she went back to her own bed. However, no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get the mental image out of her mind. Sleep was beyond her for the rest of the night.

* * *

Even the Everfree Forest wasn't safe from the random chaotic magic, although by this time, it had weakened a lot. The last that it affected was the zebra who chose to live in the wild woods all by herself. She, too, was asleep, and immediately opened her eyes once the chaos magic was at her doorstep.

"What is this magic that makes me leap? Who out there dares to disturb my sleep?" she spoke to herself as she often did. Living by herself, she had developed the habit of talking in rhyme to entertain herself, and it just stuck even when she had made friends in Ponyville.

But just as she sensed the magic, it vanished. Walking to her window, she studied the forest with her keen blue eyes, trying to see anything in the darkness. However, it was near impossible to see in the Everfree Forest at night especially in such a violent storm. Zecora knew just how dangerous it could be to go out at night.

With no other choice, Zecora turned back to her home and started to prepare a morning tea. She lit her caldron fire and prepared the herbs she liked to drink. She knew it would be near impossible to go back to sleep with such a mystery starring her in the face. Instead she settled herself down to spend the rest of the night meditating to pass the time until sun-up.


End file.
